The education community of Manilva and Casares raised its voice again on Thursday at a rally held outside Manilva Town Hall to demand the urgent construction of a new secondary school (IES) to relieve the overcrowding at the current IES Las Viñas.
Families, representatives of the AMPAs (parents’ associations), pupils and residents gathered for a protest that had broad institutional, political and social backing. All of Manilva’s political groups, including the mayor, councillors and opposition, were present, as were representatives of the USTEA union (the union of workers in Andalusian public education). Educational and community representatives also took part, including Constantin, representing the pupils; Antonia Pineda, Casares education councillor; Lorena García, president of the Casares AMPA; and all the presidents of the AMPAs of every school in Manilva, together with numerous families.
The central moment of the event was the reading of the manifesto by Ana Domínguez, president of the IES Las Viñas AMPA, who was supported by the whole education community. The document was originally to have been read in the Andalusian Parliament, but its recent dissolution following the calling of elections forced the protest to be moved to the town.
During the rally, attention was drawn to the current situation at IES Las Viñas, a school that is well over capacity and has had to adapt with temporary solutions which, according to protesters, cannot be sustained over time. The education community insists that building a second secondary school is no longer an improvement but an urgent necessity given the population growth in the area.
The manifesto that was read out sets out a series of demands agreed among the AMPAs, establishing specific deadlines for the Junta de Andalucía to make firm progress in setting up the new school. The main demands include validation of the plot, the allocation of funding and the start of building work before the end of 2026, as promises are no longer enough and real action and firm steps are required.
Despite the cancellation of the protest planned in Seville, the organisers made it clear that they will continue with further action, including upcoming protests in Málaga, with the aim of maintaining institutional pressure until a definitive response is obtained.
FULL MANIFESTO
MANILVA AND CASARES ARE RISING UP AND THEY WILL NOT STOP US
The AMPAs of Manilva and Casares, together with their town halls, are raising their voices again. We do so with the same strength, the same dignity and the same anger built up after eight years of neglect by the Junta de Andalucía. Today we denounce something even more serious: a new manoeuvre that once again leaves us abandoned.
Just as we were finally about to take our protest to the Andalusian Parliament on 26 March, just as we were finally going to demand clear answers as to why, after eight years of asking for a new secondary school, absolutely nothing has been done, the Junta announces an early election. The result? Parliament dissolved. Protest cancelled. Another door closed. Another excuse.
But let it be clear: THEY WILL NOT STOP US.
IES Las Viñas remains the living proof of regional government failure. A school designed for 700 pupils that today holds 1,375 students, an occupancy of 200%. A school turned into a suffocating space, where:
- The laboratories have been sacrificed
- The libraries have disappeared
- The prefabricated classrooms have been in use for more than 2 decades
They have emptied the word ‘education’ of meaning. They have robbed our children of the spaces where they should grow, discover and learn.
The deficiencies have been known since 2018: heating that never worked, corridors exposed to the cold and rain, unacceptable facilities. Eight years of reports, visits and broken promises. Eight years in which the Town Hall has had to take on responsibilities that are not its own to avoid total collapse.
Between February 2025 and February 2026, the Town Hall requested 13 meetings. Thirteen. All ignored. The Junta claims that «no formal requests exist». But the facts speak for themselves:
- A 7,500 m² plot accepted in 2022
- An alternative 28,067 m² plot offered in February 2026
To deny it is to lie. And we will no longer tolerate it.
In 2023 they announced funding for the new school. Today, in 2026, there is no tender, no budget, no project. There is nothing. Just smoke. Just propaganda.
And now, with the early election, they expect everything to go back to zero. They expect us to stay quiet. They expect us to wait. They expect us to accept another cycle of empty promises.
Well, no.
THEY WILL NOT STOP US.
If they close Parliament, we will go wherever we need to. If they try to silence us, we will shout louder. If they want us to wait, we will respond with mobilisation.
That is why we announce that we will demonstrate at the door of the Education Delegation in Málaga, calling on all the media to amplify our voice, so that the whole of Andalusia hears what the Junta is trying to hide.
Our demands remain clear and non-negotiable:
- Delivery of the files within 15 days
- Budget allocation for the new school in the next quarter of 2026
- Signing of the construction agreement within the same period
- Formal validation of the plot within 30 days
- Start of building work before the end of 2026
These are not suggestions. They are not requests. They are demands.
Because we are not asking for privileges. We are asking for justice. We are asking for dignity. We are asking for the school our children deserve.
And let nobody forget:
MANILVA AND CASARES DO NOT GIVE UP.
MANILVA AND CASARES WILL NOT BE SILENCED.
MANILVA AND CASARES WILL NOT STOP.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aZ3DHB9sZk
